Anxiety
and Depression in Speech

Benjamin
Pope, Thomas Blass, Aron W. Siegman and Jack Raher

Abstract

The association of certain nonlexical
and functional attributes of speech with anxiety and depression is investigated in
10-minute monologues taped by a sample of psychosomatic patients. The data consist
of eight high- and eight low-anxiety monologues of six patients (i.e., a total of 96) and
a similar sampling of depressive monologues. Anxiety was positively related to rate
of verbal productivity and speech disturbance; negatively to silent pauses.
Depression was negatively related to rate of productivity and filled pauses; positively to
silent pauses. These findings are discussed in terms of the activation effects of
anxiety and depression. Additional borderline results indicated a positive
relationship between anxiety and Resistiveness in speech and a negative relationship
between depression and Superficiality.